Night tours of royal palaces to reopen next week

Gyeongbokgung’s magnificent main hall, Geunjeongjeon, is lit up to welcome nighttime visitors to the palace. (Cultural Heritage Administration)

The popular nighttime tours of royal palaces in South Korea will resume next week, months after their suspension due to novel coronavirus fears, the cultural heritage authority said Saturday.

The Gyeongbokgung Starlight Tour will start on Wednesday and go through June 8, while the Changdeokgung Moonlight Tour will open from Thursday until June 21, according to the Cultural Heritage Administration.

Tickets for the nocturnal programs are available for purchase at the e-commerce website Auction (ticket.auction.co.kr).

A special program named Gyeongbokgung Saenggwabang, which provides tourists a chance to experience a traditional tea ceremony and enjoy dessert, will start its one-month run on Wednesday.

Music concerts will be also held at the royal palace of Gyeongbok every weekend from May 30 to July 12.

At the same time, the changing of the royal guard ceremony at Gyeongbok Palace already restarted on Wednesday, the administration added.

In June, more events including weekday concerts at Gyeongbok Palace and royal kitchen tours will begin.

CHA said that under strict quarantine guidelines to prevent possible COVID-19 infections, all visitors will have their temperatures checked and be required to wear face masks at all times.

The administration had suspended nearly all tour and cultural events at royal palaces, including the changing of the royal guard ceremony, since late February when the South Korean government raised its coronavirus alert to the highest level. (Yonhap)